[HPFGU-Movie] Question for parents

[Karen]

I personally don't think it is more than what they see in a lot of  
TV, cartoons and games. But I am not a parent.

On Nov 3, 2007, at 2:28 PM, Carol wrote:

> I'm wondering how parents of younger children (say, eight and under)
> feel about the increasing level of violence in the books as it will
> probably translate to the films. In HBP, for example (and please stop
> reading now if you haven't read the books!), we have Draco (who's
> always been depicted in the films as rather wimpy despite being a snob
> and a bully attempting to murder Dumbledore (with two students nearly
> killed when his efforts go astray) and Snape killing Dumbledore (who,
> I assume, is a beloved character for most children). We also have that
> terrifying cave scene, which will definitely be in the film.
>
> Then, in DH, we have not only the Battle of Hogwarts, but Hermione
> being systematically tortured and two terrifying scenes involving
> Nagini (the first one revolting as well as scary), and at least four
> onscreen violent deaths (Wormtail, Dobby, Snape). Charity Burbage's
> death, which needs to be shown to set the tone and establish the Snape
> red herrings, may not be violent n itself (an AK), but she's hung
> upside down first (disturbing in itself) and than fed (offpage and, I
> hope, offscreen) to Nagini.
>
> I can see a PG-13 rating for HBP, but the violence in DH is almost R
> level. At any rate, I don't see how it can be faithfully translated to
> a screenplay (minus the slow parts) and still be suitable for younger
> children, especially that first Nagini scene when she emerges from the
> corpse of Bathilda.
>
> There's a difference, too, between reading about these incidents,
> imagining them for ourselves, and seeing them vividly depicted on the
> screen. Some of these scenes seem to me to be too intense for younger
> children. But, then, some parents show Freddy Krueger movies to
> five-year-olds, so maybe I'm just being squeamish and old-fashioned.
> I'd be interested in reactions from parents on the list. And I'm not
> asking for arguments here, "right" or "wrong" views on the question.
> I'm just curious about what others think. My own view is that the
> movies should not be edited to make them suitable for younger children
> (we need most if not all of those scenes), but they should definitely
> come with a warning label since HP still has a reputation as a series
> for children. There's a huge difference between the first two films
> and the last two, especially DH.
>
> I forgot to mention "Spinner's End" in HBP, which, while not violent,
> may be too sophisticated for younger kids to grasp and too talky for
> them to sit through (though the UV will make a great scene from a
> cinematic standpoint). It's absolutely crucial to the plot and yet
> it's not kid-oriented.
>
> So, what do others think that the writers and directors should do
> (edit out the violence and sophisticated plot elements for the sake of
> younger viewers or keep them for the sake of coherence and
> authenticity) and what do parents intend to do about younger children
> who want to see these films? Or you can examine the question
> theoretically based on the ages of your children right now as opposed
> to the ages they'll be when these films come out.
>
> Carol, who really wants to know what others, primarily parents and
> grandparents, think about this question
>
>
>
>
> Remember to snip unnecessary material from posts to which you're  
> replying!
>
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